ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — a division
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — a country
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. land — ground
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — happening now
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. current — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — happy
  22. land — to come down
  23. pound — a weight
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com